from the University of Warwick

The Public Face of Revolution: Snapshots of Russia in 1925

These photographs show Soviet Russia eight years after the Russian Revolution and one year after the death of Lenin, a time when restrictions on visitors to the new socialist state were comparatively few. The majority of the photos are of Moscow, including shots of street scenes, a sports day, parades, and memorials to the revolution in the Winter Palace.

The photographs were taken by the Communist Henry Sara during his 1925 visit to Russia [document reference: MSS.15/7/5/19-111]. On his return to Britain, Sara converted some of the photographs to lantern slides and used them to illustrate public talks on 'Russia in 1925'. The slides are also included in Henry Sara's archives, and can be seen elsewhere on the Modern Records Centre website.